Car-coupling.



W. & J. KELSO. OAR COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 8, 1909,

1,024,083. Patented Apr. 23, 1912.

a 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

mnntoza W. 8: J. KELSO.

GAB. COUPLING. APPLICATION HLBD SEPT. a, 1909 1,024,083. Patented Apr.23, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

-. lllllllllllmmnluu um I II I mun-mum llllmm "Infill? W. & J. KELSO.

GAR COUPLING.

Y APPLICATION FILED SEPT. a, 1909.

barren sra'rns FATENT ora ion.

WILLIAM KELSO AND JOSEPH KE-LSO, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIG-NORSTO MCCONWAY & TORLEY COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, .A. CORPO-RATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

CAR-COUPLING.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, VVILLIAM KELso and JosEPH KELso, citizens of theUnited States, residing at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny andState of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Car-Couplers; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

Our invention relates to the construction of car couplers of thevertical plane type, and has for its object to provide a simple, strong,durable and efiicient construction in which the coupler lock isprevented from accidentally assuming an unlocked position when thedevice is in service and in which the pivoted knuckle may be readilyrotated to an open position through an extended unlocking movement ofthe coupler lock.

To this end, the principal feature of our invention, generally stated,consists in pivotally mounting upon a coupler head, which is providedwith a rotatable knuckle, a knuckle locking member to which is pivotallyattached an auxiliary or supplemental locking member that is adaptedupon an accidental rotation of the lmuckle locking member toward anunlocked position, to move into engagement with a suitable stop orabutment, thereby arresting the unlocking rotation of the said knucklelocking member.

There are other, minor, features of invention, residing in particularcombinations and elemental constructions, all as will hereinafter morefully appear.

In the drawings chosen for the purpose of illustrating our invention,the scope whereof is pointed out in the claims, Figure l is a view of acar coupler embodying our invention, the coupler head being inhorizontal, central section and the movable parts of the coupler, whichare shown in normal or locked position, being in plan; Fig. 2 is a viewsimilar to Fig. 1, butillustrating the relation the parts assume whenthe knuckle is rotated to an open position by the knuckleopening means;Fig. 3 is a detail, horizontal section, taken in the plane of the upperface of the knuckle locking member, showing, in full lines, the normalrelation of said member and the supplemental look when the Specificationof Letters Patent.

Application filed September 8, 1909.

Patented Apr. 23, 1912. Serial No. 516,768.

parts are in locked position, and showing, in dotted lines, the relativepositions the same parts assume when accidental unlocking of the coupleris prevented by the supplemental lock; Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig.3, but illustrating the position assumed by the supplemental look at theend of the preliminary unlocking movement of the lock lever; Fig.

5 is a vertical section of the coupler, taken in the plane of the line55, Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a detail, vertical section, taken in the plane ofthe line 66, Fig. 1; Fig. 7 is a detail elevation of the knuckle lockingmember and supplemental lock; Fig. 8 is a horizontal section, taken inthe plane of the line 88, Fig. 7 Fig. 9 is a detail, perspective view ofthe knuckle opening member; and Fig. 10 is a detail view illustratingthe manner of pivotally mounting the knuckle-opener upon the couplerhead.

Like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur. 1

WVe will now proceed to describe our invention more fully, so thatothers skilled in the art to which it appertains may apply the same.

In the particular embodiment of our invention illustrated in thedrawings, 1 is the coupler head, 2 the knuckle and 3 the pin by whichthe knuckle is pivotally mounted upon the coupler head in the usualmanner. The tail of the knuckle 2, which may be, and preferably is,formed with a hooked portion 4 that is adapted to enter an appropriateopening in the side wall of the coupler head, is preferably providedwith a curved face 5 which is designed to bear upon the knuckle lockingmember 6 when the several parts are in locked position and the coupleris in service, ancl is preferably also provided upon its under side witha depending, fiange-like portion 7 which extends from a point adjacentto the hook 4: forwardly toward the knuckle pin 3 for a distancesufiicient to aiford a bearing face for the forward end of the knuckleopening member 8 as that member is rotated in performing its function offorcing the knuckle to an open position.

The knuckle locking member 6, which for the sake of brevity will behereinafter termed the catch, is preferably pivotally mounted upon theguard-arm side of the coupler head 1 by means of the catch lever ordevice 9 through the instrumentality of which the catch is caused toperform an unlocking movement, as will hereinafter appear. For thispurpose, as well as to receive a portion of the supplemental lock 10,the catch 6 may be conveniently formed with two separated lugs 11 eachof which is provided with a pin receiving aperture formed as twoconnected, concentric, cylindrical segments of different diameters. Aswill be readily understood, the segments of smaller diameter receive thevertically extending pin 12 of the catch unlocking device 9, while thecylindrical segments of greater diameter receive the spline 13, which ispreferably formed integral with 15 said pin 12. As the spline receivingsegments of the pivot lugs 11 extend through an are which is of greaterlength than the thickness of the spline 13 along its periphery, it willbe observed that the catch 6 and pivot pin 12 are capable of a slight,independent rotation, which, as will presently appear, serves to permitthe actuation of the supplemental lock 10 at the beginning of anunlocking movement of the catch unlocking device 9. The catch unlockingdevice, which, as

shown, may be journaled in suitable openings formed in the top andbottom walls of the coupler head 1 and maintained in assembled positionby means of a cotter 14: that passes through the upper end of the catchpivot pin 12, is preferably formed with a boss or enlargement 15 at thebase of which is a flange or collar 16. The boss 15 serves to maintainthe proper operative relation of the unlocking device 9 to the catch 6and relieves the latter from wear which would be incident to a slidingcontact with the lower wall of the coupler head 1, while the flange 16,by bearing against the coupler head, limits the upward movement of thecatch lever 9.

Pivotally mounted upon the catch 6 between the knuckle engaging face 17thereof and its pivotal point, is a supplemental lock member 10, orlock-to-t-he-lock, which serves to prevent the catch 6 from accidentallymoving to an unlocked position when the coupler is in service. Thissupplemental lock, which is maintained between the perforated lugs 18 ofthe catch by means of a pivot pin 19, is provided with an actuatingportion or arm 20 which extends into the path of movement of the spline13 of the unlocking device 9 in such manner that, as

more particularly shown in Fig. 3, the said spline, before coming intodriving engagement with the shoulders at the outer ends of the externalsegments of the catch lugs 11, engages the said arm 20 and rotates thesupplemental lock about its pivot 19 until the parts assume the relativepositions illustrated in Fig. 4:. When in the latter position thelocking faces 21 at the outer end of the locking extension 22 of thesupplemental lock clear the corresponding locking faces or abutments 23of the coupler head as the catch 6 and supplemental lock 10 aresimultaneously rotated by the catch unlocking device 9, the catch beingthus permitted to execute an extended unlocking rotation.

For the purpose of causing the supplemental lock to constantly tend toassume a position in which it may prevent accidental unlocking of thecoupler, as well as for the purpose of returning the catch (3 to locked5 position, it is preferred to employ a spring 24, which is interposedbetween the coupler head and the end of the locking extension 22 of thesupplemental lock 10. As shown in the drawings, this spring, which ishoused 0 within the guard arm of the coupler head, is preferably mountedon a bolt 25 which passes through the slotted end of the supplementallock and through suitable apertures in the walls of the coupler head. Bymeans 35 of a nut- 26, which has threaded engagement with the bolt 25and which bears upon a washer 27 that covers the opening through whichthe spring is introduced into the cou pler head, the desired yieldingpressure exerted upon the supplemental lock and catch may be readilyattained.

The knuckle opening member or knuckleopener which we prefer to employ incon junction with the devices heretofore described is formed as abell-crank lever 8 which is pivotally mounted upon the coupler head soas to operate in a horizontal plane. To this end, the member 8 may beconveniently formed with an integral pivot pin 28 which is provided atits lower end with a locking lug or projection 29, the said pivot pinand lug being adapted to enter a suitably shaped aperture in a boss 80formed on the lower wall of the coupler head, and the locking lug orprojection 29 being adapted, as more particularly shown in Fig. 10, toextend beneath a portion of the coupler head to thus maintain theknuckle opener in proper position when the parts are in service. Theshorter arm of the knuckle-opener lever 8 is designed to be engaged andforced rearwardly by the rear face of the catch 6 to thereby cause thelonger arm of the knuckle opener to rotate the knuckle 2 to an openposition, as will be readily understood.

The construction being substantially such as hereinbefore pointed out,the operation of the device will be as follows: Assuming the parts to bein locked position, as shown in Figs. 1, 8, 5 and 6, an unlockingrotation of the catch lever 9 will cause the spline 13 upon the verticalpin 12 to move into engagement with the actuating arm 20 of thesupplemental lock 10 and rotate said supple- 5 mental lock upon itspivot pin 19 until the parts assume the position illustrated in Fig.

1, when a further unlocking movement of the catch unlocking device 9causes the catch 6 and supplemental lock to rotate together, 139

thus further compressing the spring 24 and withdrawing the catch fromlooking position in front of the tail of the knuckle 2 so that thelatter may be rotated to open position. Should the knuckle be free torotate and the unlocking movement of the catch lever 9 be continuedafter the knuckle has been unlocked, the catch 6 will engage the shorterarm of the knuckle-opener 8 and rotate the latter, thus causing thelonger arm of the lever 8 to force the knuckle to open position, asshown in Fig. 2. Then the knuckle 2 is in locked position and theunlocking force applied to the catch lever 9 is withdrawn, the spring 24will automatically return the catch 6 and its supplemental lock 10 totheir normal or locked positions.

The operation of the supplemental lock in preventing accidentalunlocking of the coupler will be readily understood upon reference toFig. 3. As there shown in dotted lines, an unlocking rotation of thecatch 6 not due to the operation of the catch lever 9 causes the lockingfaces 21 of the supplemental lock 10 to be directed by the spring 2%into engagement with the corresponding locking abutments 23 of thecoupler head, the unlocking rotation of the catch being thus positivelyarrested.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

1. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head and a knucklepivotally mounted thereon, of a horizontally rotatable catch for lockingsaid knuckle, and a horizontally rotatable supplemental lock pivotallyconnected to said catch.

2. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head and a knucklepivotally mounted thereon, of means for locking said knuckle in coupledposition, a supplemental lock pivotally mounted on said knuckle lookingmeans, and yielding means interposed between the coupler head and saidsupplemental lock.

3. In a car coupler, the combination with r a coupler head and a knucklepivotally mounted thereon, of pivoted means for looking said knuckle incoupled position, a supplemental lock pivotally mounted on said knucklelocking means, and means for causing said supplemental lock to rotateupon said knuckle locking means and also to rotate about the pivotalpoint of said knuckle locking means.

4. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head and a knucklepivotally mounted thereon, of a pivoted catch for locking said knuckle,a supplemental lock pivotally mounted upon said catch, and a device formoving said catch to an unlocked position, said device being movablewith respect to said catch and supplemental lock and being adapted toactuate each.

5. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head and a knucklepivotally mounted thereon, of a catch for locking said knuckle, asupplemental lock pivotally mounted on said catch, and a device formoving said catch to an unlocked position, said device including meansforming a connection between the said catch and coupler head.

6. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head and a knucklepivotally mounted thereon, of a pivoted catch for locking said knuckle,a supplemental lock pivotally mounted on said catch, and a device i'ormoving said catch to an unlocked position, said device being movablewith respect to said catch and supplemental lock and being provided witha pin forming the pivot for said catch.

7 In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head and a knucklepivotally mounted thereon, of a horizontally movable pivoted catchhaving an opening at its pivotal point, a supplemental lock pivotallymounted upon said catch and having a portion adapted to extend into theopening in the said catch, and a device for moving said catch to anunlocked position, said device being provided with means adapted to engage the portion of the supplemental lock extending into the opening ofthe said catch to actuate said supplemental lock.

8. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head and a knucklepivotally mounted thereon, of a pivoted horizontally movable catch forlocking said knuckle, a horizontally movable supplemental lock pivotallymounted on said catch, means for actuating said supplemental lock topermit said catch to move to an unlocked position, and a spring fordirecting said supplemental lock to catch locking position.

9. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head and a knucklepivotally mounted thereon, of a horizontally movable pivotedcatch'having a pivot opening formed of segments of diiferent diameter, ahorizontally movable supplemental lock pivotally mounted upon said catchat one side of the pivot opening thereof, a device for actuating saidsupplemental lock and catch to move the catch to an unlocked position,and a spring interposed between said supplemental lock and coupler head,said actuating device being formed with a pin and spline which enter thepivot opening of the catch, and said supplemental lock being adapted toengage the coupler head and having an actuating portion extending intothe path of movement of said spline.

10. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head and a knucklepivotally mounted thereon, of a horizontally movable catch pivotallymounted on said coupler head, a supplemental lock pivotally mounted onsaid catch, and a horizontally movable knuckle-opener lever pivotallymounted on the coupler head and having an arm extending into the path ofmovement of the said catch.

11. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head having a guardarm, of a knuckle pivotally mounted upon said head, a horizontallymovable catch pivotally mounted upon said head, a supplemental lockpivotally mounted upon said catch and adapted to engage a portion of thecoupler head to prevent the said catch from rotating to an unlockedposition, a spring arranged within the guard arm of the coupler head andhearing upon said supplemental lock, and a hori- Zontally movableknuckle-opener lever pivotally mounted on the coupler head and having anarm extending into the path of movement of the said catch.

12. A knuckle for car couplers of the vertical plane type, said knucklehaving a pivot pin opening and being provided with a tail portion formedwith a curved locking face, a hook and a depending flange which extendsfrom a point adjacent to the hook forwardly toward the pivot pinopening.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures, in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM KELSO. JOSEPH KELSO.

' -Witnesses:

A. BAN-E1, J. W. HARTLEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

